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Mitsotakis: PM's performance caused sadness and anger

The third “unnecessary” memorandum caused by the Tsipras government will be followed by a fourth “informal” one, the leader of the main opposition New Democracy party said on Tuesday.

Reiterating his calls for snap elections, Kyriakos Mitsotakis condemned the decision of Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras to give televised address from the island of Ithaca marking Greece’s exit from its bailout program.

The “symbolism of Ithaca is false,” Mitsotakis said. “We have not reached the end of the journey. Cheap financing ends today but the tough measures and heavy commitments which Mr Tsipras signed up to will continue.”

Recalling Tsipras’ promise to “tear up the [bailout] memorandums” before coming to power, Mitsotakis said the prime minister “went on to sign an unnecessary third memorandum that cost us more than 100 billion euros. And now the fourth informal memorandum begins, with austerity, new pension cuts, increases in taxes and levies, cruel primary surpluses and very strict monitoring.”

The prime minister’s address had caused “sadness and anger” among Greeks and divided them, Mitostakis said, accusing Tsipras of staging “fake events,” like he did on the evening of the July 23 fires in Attica when “we heard his ministers’ assurances that everything was going well while at the same time dozens of our fellow citizens were burning in Mati.”

He said the positive statements internationally to Greece’s exit from the bailout was “also due to the relief of some European officials as Greece has made new commitments without asking for more loans.”